Burning a White Rose
by GhostPhoenix113
Summary: It's hard enough loving someone you can't have, but when that person you love is with you all the time, your life can become so unbearable that you inadvertently hurt the ones you love. Oneshot


Yang dropped the bottle to the ground as she looked at the picture of Ruby and Weiss kissing as the sun set behind them on the beach that beside their beds in their dorm. She gently touched the picture, being carful not to leave any fingerprints as she longed to touch the the skin of the one person who mattered most to her. Suddenly, she heard the distinctive sound of the door knob turning behind her, and she quickly kicked the bottle she had dropped under her bed and lay down, pretending to look at her notes from the day's classes.

"-And then I smacked him right in the face with Crescent Rose!" Ruby's energetic babbling came as she and Weiss walked through the door. "Best. Sparring. Match. Ever."

"I saw, Ruby, I was there," Weiss said as she shook her head in exasperation, even as she smiled brightly at Ruby's constant barrage of words.

_She has the voice of an angel_, Yang thought, hiding her smile behind her notes.

"Yang Xiao Long? _Studying_?" Weiss said suddenly, "I never thought I'd live to see this day."

"Heh, yeah, I was starting to fall behind in Port's class, so I figured it might be a good idea," Yang said, attempting to make up an excuse.

"But didn't you manage to get a B on your last test?" Ruby asked.

"Well, maybe I want an A!" Yang said, trying to dodge the question.

"You were more than happy with a C last semester though."

"Ruby, can you just leave it?" Yang said with exasperation. "I swear, you're worse than dad."

"Geez, sorry, Yang," Ruby muttered.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Come on, Ruby. Let's go get dinner before Yang blows up at us."

_Dammit_, Yang thought as Ruby and Weiss left the room. _Every damn time._

* * *

"Is it just me, or has Yang been acting weird lately?" Ruby asked, staring at her plate full of cookies as she and Weiss sat next to each other in the cafeteria.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Weiss replied as she gripped Ruby's hand. "She's probably just been having a bad month."

Ruby sighed. "Yeah, maybe. I just wish she'd tell me what's wrong."

Weiss gave Ruby a light kiss on the cheek. "She will when she's ready, Ruby," she said reassuringly. "Just give her time."

"I hope she'll be all right," Ruby muttered wistfully.

"I'm sure she will be. Come on, you need to eat," Weiss said, looking at Ruby's still-full plate of cookies.

"Y'know, I'm not really that hungry," Ruby muttered.

Weiss let out a gentle sigh and rubbed her thumb along Ruby's hand. "Ruby, You can't keep worrying about Yang. She's a big girl, and I'm sure she can handle whatever it is that's bothering her. And, if she can't, she'll come to you first for help."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ruby replied sadly.

"Am I ever wrong?" Weiss asked smugly.

"What about when you first met me?" Ruby asked. "You said you thought I'd be terrible in a fight, if I recall."

"Fair point," Weiss said with a chuckle. "Come on, let's go ahead and get back to the dorm. You can eat those on the way."

* * *

"Okay Weiss, see you soon! Love you!" Ruby called as she walked through the door leading into team RWBY's dorm.

Yang sat up in her bed and looked at the Ruby as she walked in.

"Hey, Yang," Ruby said cheerfully.

"Where's Weiss?" Yang asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Over in JNPR's dorm," Ruby said, gesturing behind her. "She said she wanted to talk to Pyrrha about something. Why?"

"No reason," Yang said as she lay back down.

"Yang, what's wrong?" Ruby asked as she walked up beside her sister.

"None of your business," Yang muttered through gritted teeth.

"Come on Yang," Ruby said innocently, "You know you can tell me anything."

"The problem is _you_!" Yang shouted as she shot up from her bed.

"Wh-What?" Ruby stammered as she slowly backed away.

Yang's eyes shifted color, quickly changing from a shimmering amethyst a blood-red as she walked towards Ruby, slowly starting to press the younger girl against the wall. "You _stole _her from me! She was _mine_, until you came in and took her right out from under me."

"Yang, what are you talking about?" Ruby begged, as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Weiss!" Yang yelled as she slammed the picture of Ruby and Weiss into the the latter girl's stomach, ignoring her sister's cry of pain from a shard of glass that had cut the younger girl. "You took Weiss from me! I love her, and you're too damn _selfish_ to realize it!"

Yang punched Ruby in the stomach, followed closely with a strike to her chin.

"It's..." Another punch. "All..." Another strike. "Your..." Yet another. "_Fault_!" Yang hit Ruby in the gut as hard as she could.

Ruby doubled over, and Yang started to unleash a torrent of blows on her younger sister. Yang pulled back for one final Blow, when suddenly, from behind her, she heard a shrill yell of "No!" and Yang felt her blow connect with a sickening crunch. Yang looked down, and below her, with several broken ribs exposed to the open air, was Weiss Schnee, laying on the ground, shivering from the pain. Yang staggered back several steps as her eyes quickly shifted back to a fearful purple. Ruby, who was laying on the ground as well, painfully turned over and pulled herself over to Weiss, leaving a crimson trail of blood on the ground from where the shard of glass had wounded her. When she finally made it to Weiss, Ruby wrapped her arms around her, and started to sob softly.

Suddenly, the door opened again, and Blake, along with all of team JNPR burst through.

"Yang, what happened," Blake demanded angrily.

_Oh no,_ Yang thought as she stared at her blood-soaked hands. _What have I done_?

* * *

"I trust you know why you're here, Miss Xiao Long," Ozpin said as he looked over his glasses at the girl sitting with her hands folded in her lap.

Yang simply nodded without saying a word.

"The doctors have informed me that Miss Rose and Miss Schnee are in critical condition, but are stable, and should make a full recovery within a week or two, depending on how well their auras assist in their recovery."

Yang nodded again, tears beginning to fall from her dull, lilac eyes.

Ozpin sighed. "Miss Xiao Long, you should know by now that, because of your semblance, you need better control your emotions. I hope that this has at least been a learning experience for you."

"Yes, sir," Yang said, her voice thin and raspy.

"Unfortunately, even though you are one of the most talented fighters here, there must be consequences for your actions."

Yang nodded once more.

"There will not be charges pressed," Ozpin said, "That being said, I unfortunately must expel you from the academy due to your actions. You will be escorted off the campus by team CFVY," Ozpin turned to the console on his desk. Miss Adel, if you would?"

The elevator door hissed open. The heavily armed team walked into the room, and Yang stood up and the four hunters-in-training surrounded her.

"I'm sorry, Yang," Ozpin said sadly.

Yang nodded slowly. As she turned around, she started to sob uncontrollably. Ozpin looked down and let a single tear fall. Eventually, Yang finally stopped crying, and began to only let out a few gentle sobs.

"Tell them," Yang paused a moment as she let out another sob, "Tell them I'm sorry."

"I will," Ozpin said sadly.

With that, team CFVY lead Yang out of the office. When Ozpin finally heard the elevator hiss away, he rested his head in his hands. _If only there were some other way_, he thought.

* * *

Yang stood outside, looking at the house. Inside, Yang saw a woman with long, black-and-red hair and silver eyes, and another with long, shimmering, white hair. She shivered slightly as the snow continued to fall in the streets all around her. Yang saw the first woman pick up a young girl that had white-and-red hair, and lifted her over her head as the entire family laughed. Yang walked up and knocked on the door.

"I'll get it," one of the woman called.

"I'll come with you!" the other woman replied.

"Dunce," the first said.

"What, don't you love me?"

"Of course-Yang," she said as she stared through the open door.

"Weiss, Ruby," Yang said, sounding broken.

Weiss and Ruby looked at each other and nodded.

"Diamond, go upstairs," Weiss said sternly.

"Okay mommy!" The young girl called cheerfully, leaving a trail of white rose petals as she ran upstairs.

"Come in," Weiss said as she led Yang to the couple's dining room.

All three girls sat down. They stared at each other for several minutes.

"Do you want me to take your jacket?" Weiss asked.

"Sure," Yang said quietly.

Yang slid the heavy, leather jacket off of herself, revealing a thin, frail body, paling in comparison to her strength when she left Beacon. Her hair was matted and caked with dirt, and her dull, lilac eyes were spider-webbed with blood veins.

"Yang, what happened to you?" Ruby asked, her voice laced with pity.

Yang sat there for a moment with a fragile look on her face, until she finally burst into tears as Weiss sat back down at the table.

"I'm sorry!" Yang wailed. "I'm so, so sorry! It was all my fault! I was stupid and selfish and-"

"Yang," Ruby interrupted with a sigh, "just stop."

"I'm so sorry," Yang sobbed quietly.

"Yang, it's been twelve years, and it took you this long?"

"I was a terrible person," Yang said, still sobbing. "It was all my fault. I'm so sorry."

Weiss shook her head, "Yang, please just stop it."

Ruby glanced at Weiss, who gave her a sigh. "Yang," Ruby said, looking her at her with pity. "I still love you. Really, I do, even after all you did. But we... We can't forgive you for what you did. Not yet, at least."

"I... I understand," Yang said with another sob.

She started to get up from the table and turned towards the door, when Weiss called after her. "Where are you going?"

"Home, I guess," Yang said sadly.

"Where do you live?" Ruby asked.

"A-around," Yang replied evasively.

"Yang..." Ruby replied sadly. "Do you even have a home?"

"N... No."

Ruby glanced at Weiss. "Yang, could you hold on a moment?" Weiss called.

Weiss followed Ruby into the couple's kitchen.

"We can't just let her go back out in the cold," Weiss said quietly.

"Well, don't forget what she did when she was still at Beacon," Ruby said.

"She's still your sister, though."

"She was also my sister when she nearly killed us too."

"Ruby, come on," Weiss said. "You can't seriously let her go back out to the street. I mean, look at her. She looks like she hasn't eaten in months, and, you remember how much she cared about her hair? The Yang we knew would never let her hair get like that."

Ruby looked at Yang through the doorway, staring at the once proud girl's frail body. Ruby was overcome by pity as tears began to prick at her eyes as she watched.

"You're... You're right," Ruby said.

"Of course I am," Weiss said with a smile. "But that's why you love me."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Hey, Yang?" she called. "Can you come in here please?"

Yang shuffled into the room, her head hung low.

"Yang, would... Would you like to stay with us? Instead of going back and living on the street?"

"R-Really?" Yang asked, clearly not believeing what she had heard.

Weiss nodded.

Yang burst into tears again and wrapped Weiss and Ruby into a tight hug. "Thank you!" she sobbed. "Thank you _so_ much!"

Ruby and Weiss hugged Yang back. "Of course... sis." Ruby said.

* * *

"Ready for your first day, Diamond?" Weiss asked with a smile.

"Yes, mom," the white-and-red haired girl replied, rolling her eyes as she smiled and prepared to step onto the airship.

"You've got your scythe?" Ruby said.

"Right here mom," Diamond said, pulling out a massive, white, scythe with red trimming.

"And do you have-" Ruby started.

"Mom!" Diamond said with exasperation, "I've got everything! You can stop worrying!"

"Sorry, kiddo," Ruby said, her long hair flowing behind her as she hugged her daughter. "I love you."

"I love you too, mom," Diamond said as she returned the Ruby's hug.

"Hey Rubes! Hey Weiss!" A boisterous female voice said from behind them.

"Hey Yang," Ruby said as she turned around and smiled at her sister. "Or should I say 'Professor Xiao Long?'"

"Yeah, I got kinda lucky," Yang said as she scratched the back of her head. "Jaune offered me the position about a month ago."

"Nice job, Yang," Ruby said with a bright smile.

"Thanks," Yang replied.

All three girls stood there for several minutes before Yang turned around and started to walk towards the entrance to the Beacon transport airship.

"Well, I'll se you two later," Yang called as she prepared to board the ship.

"Yang?" Weiss called.

"Yeah?"

Weiss turned back to look at Ruby, who simply gave her a nod and a smile.

"I just want you to know," Weiss said. "That we forgive you, and that... If I hadn't met Ruby, then it would have been you."

Yang's eyes began to tear up. "Thanks guys," she said.

"'Course," Ruby said with a smile. "You are my sister after all."

Ruby walked up to her sister, her longer hair flowing behind her, and she hugged Yang.

"I love you both so much," Yang said, her voice breaking.

"We love you too, Yang," Ruby said.

Yang released her sister, and waved at the couple as the door closed behind her.

* * *

**A/N: All the feels! This was just a little idea that popped into my mind about a week or so ago, and decided to share it with you all. Let me know what you think, and stay tuned for Chapter 21 of A Lone White Rose coming soon!**


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